Workflow for Thermodynamics Property Calculations
The thermodynamic properties database, together with the thermodynamic calculator, make it possible to evaluate physical properties of fluids such as heat capacity, thermal conductivity, density and diffusivity, as well as equilibrium compositions of two phases at equilibrium. The properties can be calculated for pure fluids, mixtures, and for two-phase fluid systems consisting of pure species as well as mixtures.
Using the thermodynamics functionality involves the following main steps:
1
Add the Thermodynamics node and create a thermodynamic system to add properties for a selected set of chemical compounds, referred to as chemical species in this manual. A thermodynamic system can be created in the following ways:
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A built-in Thermodynamic System uses the built-in, or user-defined, property database with native functionality for thermodynamic property calculations.
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An External Thermodynamic System uses properties from an installed external package provider. For more information on how to enable the use of external packages see the Installing External Thermodynamic Packages — An Example.
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A Predefined System uses the built-in database with native functionality to set up one of the following common systems; Dry air, Moist air, or Water-steam.
2
Once a thermodynamic system is set up, it can be used to define a multitude of property functions. The Generate Material option provides a fast route to defining the material properties most commonly required for fluid flow, heat transfer and mass transfer modeling. By specifying the composition and phase of the mixture, a Material node can automatically be set up. The material node can include properties such as density, heat capacity, heat capacity ratio, thermal conductivity and viscosity.
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As an alternative to the functions automatically set up when using Generate Material or coupling to e.g. Chemistry, functions or constants can be set up manually for any thermodynamic system. This is accomplished using the thermodynamic features Species Property, Mixture Property or Equilibrium Calculation. You can, for example, create a Species Property function describing the density of a fluid, and use this function in a fluid-flow interface. With Mixture Property you can define mixture functions, i.e. functions that depend on the composition of a mixture, describing for example density, enthalpy, or heat capacity.
The functionalities described in Step 24 generate functions and constants, defined by a thermodynamic system, that can be used in any physics interface in COMSOL Multiphysics. The functions are used to evaluate fluid properties that depend on variables such as temperature, pressure, and mixture composition. For more information, see Evaluating a Property Function in a Physics Interface.